''The Settlement'' is a 1984 Australian film directed by

Howard Rubie Howard William Rubie (27 August 1938 – July 2011) was an Australian director. Born in Sydney, he worked extensively in film and television, and was awarded for his services an Emmy and was nominated for an AFI Award (now known as the AAC ...

and starring

Bill Kerr William Henry Kerr (10 June 1922 – 28 August 2014) was a British and Australian actor, comedian, and vaudevillian. Born in South Africa, he started his career as a child actor in Australia, before emigrating to Britain after the Second Wor ...

and

John Jarratt John Jarratt is an Australian television film actor, producer and director and TV presenter who rose to fame through his work in the Australian New Wave. He has appeared in a number of film roles including '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (1975), ' ...

. It is set in Queensland in the 1950s.David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p110

Plot

When two friendly drifters, Jack Kearney (

) and Tommy Martin (

) wander into the sleepy country township of Cedar Creek, there is nothing to prepare the innocent locals for the spectacle destined to unfold. Intent to make loose ends meet and fill their empty pockets by swindling money from some of the naive locals, the two fellas settle in an abandoned shack on the outskirts of town. Befriended by former prostitute and social outcast Joycie (

Lorna Lesley Lorna Lesley (born 1959, in Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison wit ...

), the two open-minded men welcome her into their home and their hearts, setting in motion a town scandal of considerable concern. Establishing a sensational ménage à trois in an otherwise highly conservative environment, the loving threesome face the wrath of the greater community, as others in the town strongly disapprove of their new-age living arrangements and set their sights on a bit of good old fashioned outback home-wrecking.

Production

The film was shot over four weeks just outside Brisbane.

Reception

Bob Ellis Robert James Ellis (10 May 1942 – 3 April 2016) was an Australian writer, journalist, filmmaker, and political commentator. He was a student at the University of Sydney at the same time as other notable Australians including Clive James, Germa ...

later called it:

A wonderful film. It's a great film. It's like a film that Lawson never wrote but might have. It's sort of a menage a trois outside a country town. I like, particularly, the man played by
Tony Barry Tony Barry (28 August 1941 – 21 December 2022) was an Australian actor and activist best known for his television and film roles. Personal life Barry was born in Ipswich, Queensland, on 28 August 1941. He had one son. Barry was an environme ...
. He waits for his wife outside while she goes to church. That's what my father did to my mother.Interview with Bob Ellis
accessed 31 Marcdh 2015

References

External links

*
''The Settlement''
at Oz Movies {{DEFAULTSORT:Settlement 1984 films Australian drama films Films set in Queensland 1980s English-language films Films directed by Howard Rubie